T-minus three … two … one!
Just like that, DraftKings continues its ascent in the iGaming industry. Last Friday, the online sportsbook and daily fantasy sports operator officially became a publicly traded company with the DKNG ticker symbol on Nasdaq.
Following that, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) officially green-lit the soft launch of DraftKings during its meeting Wednesday.
Following a successful mandated testing period, the DraftKings online casino is officially launched as of May 1. It is the 10th online casino offering in the state.
About DraftKings PA online casino
You can access the DraftKings PA online casino via desktop browsers as well as iOS or Android mobile devices.
Moreover, if you already have an account with the DraftKings sportsbook in PA, you can use your preexisting account and funds.
DraftKings PA online casino launched with 27 slots (from IGT), video poker and table games including blackjack and roulette. The company eventually plans to offer 280 games, which will be rolled out gradually.
In New Jersey, DraftKings also offers Live Dealer casino games. A DraftKings representative confirmed that Live Dealer games will be offered at its PA casino in the future, saying:
“While we do not have an exact time frame, all 280 options will follow quickly after launch, including those that feature a live dealer and those that are DraftKings branded.”
The rep also shared that casino players will be able to customize the felt design for table games with options such as sports and holiday themes.
Growing the DraftKings brand
DraftKings first built its name on becoming one of the top daily fantasy sports operators. Then the company took steps to be publicly traded. Now it can offer not just sports betting but online casinos, too.
DraftKings Chief Compliance Officer Tim Dent issued a statement Wednesday morning that said:
“DraftKings appreciates the collaborative working relationship we have established with the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board and thanks them for their thoughtful leadership in creating a consumer-focused, competitive iGaming market. We look forward to successfully completing the soft launch phase of the process and receiving our iGaming license so that we can be fully operational in Pennsylvania on May 1.”
Currently, the DraftKings online sportsbook partners with The Meadows in Pennsylvania, but The Meadows does not own an online casino license. For that reason, DraftKings will operate under the Hollywood Casino online gaming license; Hollywood is another property owned by Penn National.
This is possible even though Hollywood already has an online casino app. PA gaming regulations allow for multiple online casino skins under a single operator license. With the market-access deal between Penn and DraftKings, Hollywood is the obvious choice for DraftKings’ land-based casino partner.
DraftKings poised to gain strong market share of PA iGaming market
With the approval by the PGCB, DraftKings becomes the 10th online casino to enter the PA market. While it may be argued that DraftKings is entering a saturated PA online casino market, it seems that the operator is poised to make an immediate and sizable impact in Pennsylvania for various reasons.
First, brick-and-mortar casinos closed in March, which resulted in a record month for online gaming revenue. With land-based casinos remaining closed for the foreseeable future, it seems logical that the timing of the DraftKings launch in PA will only spell success.
Second, the DraftKings online sportsbook only entered the PA market in November 2019. However, within two months, the relative newcomer was already the second-largest online sportsbook, behind only FanDuel.
Despite being new to Pennsylvania, DraftKings already had a well-known brand and an established DFS customer base to build upon.
Now DraftKings will look to leverage those same assets to grab a share of the maturing PA iGaming market.